1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boat for commercial sport fishing and in particular to a boat configured to have improved rail and seating capacity without causing any substantial reduction in the available cabin space, particularly cabin head room.
2. Description of the Background
A primary problem facing existing commercial sport fishing boats is to provide an adequate balance between the available rail space for fishing and yet sufficient interior space for the creature comforts required to attract sport fisherman to the boat. For example, many commercial fishing boats in the 40 foot range have limited rail and deck space but are provided with a large salon area which is used for lounging only. While this may allow for the creature comforts, it actually limits the number of sport fisherman that can be taken on board in any one trip, the number being limited by the available rail space. This limitation is a definite economic drawback as it directly relates to the number of paying passengers which can be accommodated on each trip.
Some charter sport fishing boats have been built at the opposite end of this extreme. They have reduced their cabin space significantly or even, in some cases, eliminated it altogether. U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,280 is an example. This has had the effect of increasing the available rail space, but it has definitely limited the comfort or luxury factor. While more paying sport fisherman can be brought on board, perhaps the charge cannot be as high for the individual fisherman on each trip. Thus, there is not necessarily a net gain in profit for the operator of this type of commercial sport fishing boat.
From the foregoing, it is clear that there has been a significant need in the commercial sport fishing area for a boat which can carry a sufficient number of sport fisherman provided with adequate amount of comfort/luxury as to enable the operator to return a profit over his expenses on each trip.